Ignoring the dwarf, Mal responds to Taff, "The man has agreed to leave by tomorrow morning. If he does not, or attempts to come back, we know that which can harm him the most and convince him further."

Taff nods "Good. The baron is ... er, has ... other business to attend to today. He asked me to deliver your payment and thank you for your assistance. You do not need to come to his house again." He hands Mal a pouch with the promised 400 gold.

The group gains 200 experience for completing the minor quest for a group total of 16867, or about 3373 each.

It is early afternoon. Unless you have other plans, the group returns to Belden's Rest. As this entanglement with the Baron and his daughter comes to a close, you find yourselves a bit richer and a bit wiser, much better acquainted with the city of Overlook, and perhaps, with some new enemies and allies in this new place.

On the way back, speaking to Salazar quietly, so that Mal can not overhear, "Was your cousin always this stubborn in trying to see the world as black and white while growing up? He seems to think that not taking money earned by an unpleasant task is the best course of action, whereas a donation of his portion would be a wiser choice of action. I think an orphanage would be most appropriate. Actually, we could even just donate all of it or most! Ah well, perhaps in a couple of decades he will look back and see that today we saved a person's life by taking the responsibility to be harse into our own hands."

Ravenblade goes to bed that night with a look of strong determination in his eyes. His companions wonder if he might be angry by the glare in his eyes, not realized that he is merely thinking fervently. At last satisfied with his plans for the next day, the ranger falls asleep quickly.

The next morning, he gets up very early, before any of his companions, and approaches the kind elderly couple running Belden's Rest. He orders some breakfast and asks them if they know of any reputable orphanages in the city that could benifit from charitable donations. He hopes they will be of help in his endeavor to teach Mal that good can come of any situation, even the most despairing or unpleasant ones.

When Mal reaches Belden's Rest that evening, he pulls the leader of the Freeriders aside and says, "Miss Swiftblade, let's have a drink." He then sits grabs two beers and sits at a table with her, his eyes hot with rage, going off on a rant, "How do you do it? [pausing, but not long enough for her to answer] Dwarves, I mean? [short pause] Are they always like this? [pause] You would think he would be different. [pause] Being so tall and short-bearded and all. [pause] And a ranger...who ever heard of a dwarf that likes trees more than stone? [pausing just long enough to drink] You would think he would value life. [pause] Not sell it out for 400 gp. [pause] Which, by the way, would only make it 80 gp for him. [pause] Who does he think he is, presuming to know my motivations? [pause, with a drink] He knew I didn't want to go in the first place. [pause] And then I am able to stop any killing on both sides and he insults me for not wanting to murder a man? [pause] A man whose only crime, by the way, was impregnating the wrong woman. [pause] For money? [pause] I guess you can't really take the desire for shiny objects away from dwarves. [pause, with a drink] Even those that live in the forest. [pause] So, how do you do it Miss Swiftblade? [pause] How do you deal with dwarves when they don't listen?" Finally, the tiefling pauses long enough for Megan Swiftblade to respond.

OOC: Sorry, this should have gone up before Viktor's last post. I was waiting for Emily to change the setting. Should I be more proactive about just doing whatever I want in between events?

Luckily, for both Mal and himself, Ravenblade had already retired to his room by the time the Commander began his ranting.

OOC: LOL, funny post, Josh. Must be hard for Mal to accept his life being saved from the Lich by the dwarf and now being confronted with the ranger's seemingly greedy attitude. By the way, I thought we got 600 gp total, 200 at first and 400 at completion, which makes 120 each. If only Mal knew that it is a triple digit figure, maybe he'd change his mind.

If you guys want to run with Josh's post, go ahead and have fun with it. Ravenblade is content to find an orphanage the next morning.

As Mal unleashes his torrent of grievances on Megan, the elf in her party pulls up a chair and listens in. He says simply "I'm Sylen, Sylen Leafrunner." He sits very close to Megan, keeping quiet, not touching, but in a familiar enough way to suggest their intimacy.

After listening to Mal rant Megan says " Wow, sounds like you had a tough day. I'm sorry to hear you got trouble from you commrad. I assume you're referring to the tallish dwarf in your group. As for my experince with dwarves, lets just say they can be stubborn, often to the point of ignoring common sense. Also, I'd say most people have a strong a desire for shiny objects, regardless of race. It is hard to get away from that.

"You know sometimes you don't always agree with allies. By Pelor, Madrik can drive me crazy with his brooding silence. Even Sylen pisses me off occasionally, although he always apologizes later." She sends a sly smile Sylen's way and continues, "Try not to let the dwarf get to you so much. It isn't good for your blood pressure you know. And don't let petty differences get in the way of what should be your overall goal - to protect innocents from the dark and malign forces of this world." she finishes boldly.

Then, as if just remembering, she adds brightly ?Oh, did you hear the news? The Council of Elders convenes the day after tomorrow. The word is out that they want groups of fighters for specific crack missions. We?re definitely going to the meeting. Are you? I bet you'd feel lots better after hacking some evil orcs.?

In the morning, Ravenblade speaks to Ruth about a local orphanage. "Oh yes dear," she says "You'd best go to Pelor's Shining Home for Unfortunate and Damaged Children. It is just around the corner from the main Temple of Pelor in Nine Bells. They certainly can use all the assistance they can get."

OOC: The summary of the loot from this adventure was 800. You had 1600 total gold from before for a group total of 2400. This excludes items.

Thanking the couple for their advice, Ravenblade heads over to Pelor's Shining Home for Unfortunate and Damaged Children (PSHUDC) and makes an official donation of 100 gold pieces, Mal's portion of the "blood money" plus some of Ravenblade's under the benefactor's name Mal Geminous, explaining that the donation is in the Tiefling's name. He asks for some form of written confirmation which he can later present to the Commander.

"Thank you. Miss Swiftblade. Hopefully as the dwarf and I come to know each other better, this will have simply been a boulder in the road. I never had to deal with this kind of behavior in the military. Your experience in dealing with a small group has granted you wisdom I do not yet hold."

Listening to Megan's news, Mal says, "That's the kind of work I want to do. Not familial and city power structure disputes. Maybe we will have the pleasure of our groups working together..."

Mal then gets up and pays the barkeep for the three drinks (including Sylen's whatever he had). "Good night, Miss Swiftblade, I will see you at the meeting." Turning to Sylen, he gestures for him to come over to the side, and whispers to him, "Mr. Leafrunner...hi...I just wanted to apologize. I did not mean anything by this. You have nothing to worry about from me. I just needed to vent. And thank you for understanding my need to speak with Miss Swiftblade."